California Bans Tanning Beds for Teens, Abortions Still OK

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill in the Golden State that prohibits minor from using tanning beds — in a state that has rejected three times efforts to allow parents to be notified when a minor girl is considering an abortion.

“Minors in the state of California will no longer be allowed to use tanning beds after Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Sunday prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 from using ultraviolet tanning devices,” Reuters reports. “California is the first state in the nation to ban minors from using tanning beds, legislators said. Previously, California had banned minors under the age of 14 from using tanning beds, but allowed those between 14 and 18 years of age to use tanning beds with parental consent.”

“The bill was part of a cluster of legislation signed on Sunday designed to “improve the health and well-being of Calfornians,” according to a statement from the Governor’s office,” Reuters indicated.

Blogger Don Surber of the Daily Nail noticed the new law and said it is embarrassing for California to ban tanning for teens but put up no obstacles on abortion.

“California continues to be an embarrassment to the other 49 states. The state government now bans people from using tanning beds until they are 18. But minors will continue to be able to have abortions without the permission — or even knowledge — of their parents. So much for my body, my choice,” he writes. “The law takes effect on January 1. I suppose we can now call it the not-so-golden state.”

“Before, kids 14-18 could use a tanning bed. I wonder if this applies to families that have tanning beds of their own,” Surber said. “I wonder if anyone will dare to challenge this idiocy in court. Maybe California will do with tans what it does with pot and allow for medical tanning.”

In November 2008, the third try wasn’t the charm for pro-life advocates who want parents to have a chance to know when their minor daughters are considering an abortion. California voters defeated two previous attempts to install a parental notification measure in the state’s constitution and an attempt to expand the language of the proposal to include adult relatives failed to win the day. On election night, Proposition 4 lost by a very small margin with 52 percent of California residents voting against it and 48 percent voting for it.

Backers of the proposal were outspent by Planned Parenthood, which spent $3.7 million running an ad that claimed the notification measure provides no options for teenagers who come from abusive home situations and want to have an abortion without their parents’ knowledge. The ACLU, the California Teachers Association, and Alternative Energy Prop 87 helped the abortion business finance the ad.